Change in laser-induced fluorescence spectra of sea water during degradation of dissolved organic matter

We present the results of measurement of the laser-induced fluorescence spectra of sea water under laboratory conditions. We show that during phytoplankton cell death caused by heating of sea water samples, the fluorescence intensity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) increases. We observe different behaviors of the fluorescence intensity for excitation by 2nd harmonic (532 nm) and 3rd harmonic (355 nm) emission from a Nd:YAG laser during degradation of dissolved organic matter. In the first case, a monotonic decrease in the DOM₅₃₂ fluorescence intensity occurs, while in the second case the fluorescence intensity remains constant. We give a possible explanation for such behavior of the DOM fluorescence intensity. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 103–107, January–February, 2007.